Various Hard-boiled Eggs

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan
• •Large bowl for the ice bath
• •Small whisk and narrow mixing bowl
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (12 mm) grooved star tip
• •Sharp thin-bladed knife
• •Large chilled oval platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and cool eggs

   Bring a wide saucepan of water to a steady boil. Lower the 12 eggs into it with a spoon, reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer them immediately to a deep bowl of ice water and leave them there for at least 10 minutes, replacing warm water with more cold water if necessary. If an egg cracks while cooking, lower the boil at once; reserve that egg for the salad if its shape suffers. Ça se rattrape.

   Eggs that have rested in the refrigerator for several days usually peel more cleanly than eggs laid yesterday. Freshness is admirable, but here it can be obstinate.
2. 2

   Peel and portion

   Crack each cold shell all over, roll it gently beneath your palm, and peel from the broad end where the air pocket sits. If the shell clings, peel beneath a thin stream of cool water rather than tearing the white. Set aside 3 eggs for discs, 3 for tuna halves, 2 for Macédoine halves, 2 for herb quarters, and 2 for salad. Cut the tuna, Macédoine, and quarter eggs lengthwise, then lift out their yolks. Keep the 3 tuna yolks separate; combine the other 4 yolks for the herb filling. Leave the natural oval hollows intact. The source's carved oblong cavities and indented edges were service scaffolding; clean cuts and fluted piping give the home platter all the order it needs.

3. 3

   Whisk the mayonnaise

   Whisk the pasteurized yolk with the Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons of the white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the cold water, a pinch of the measured salt, and a little white pepper. Add the neutral oil drop by drop until the emulsion takes hold, then pour it in a thin thread while whisking constantly. The finished mayonnaise should stand in a soft peak. If it splits, stop. Put the remaining teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk in the broken mayonnaise one spoonful at a time until it becomes smooth again. Ça se rattrape. Refrigerate it while preparing the fillings.

4. 4

   Pipe shrimp-butter discs

   Cut the 3 reserved eggs crosswise into roundels about 1/3 inch (8 mm) thick. Trim away the narrow end pieces and save them for the salad so the serving discs are nearly uniform and their yolks appear centered. Pound or process the shrimp into a fine paste, then beat it thoroughly into the 4 tablespoons of softened butter with a pinch each of salt and white pepper. Press the Shrimp Butter through a fine sieve if any coarse pieces remain, load it into a piping bag fitted with a grooved star tip, and pipe a small rosette onto every disc. If the ridges slump, chill the bag for 5 minutes; if the butter is too stiff to pipe, warm it briefly between your hands.

5. 5

   Make tuna halves

   Mash the 3 reserved tuna yolks until no lumps remain. Work in the drained tuna and 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of mayonnaise, then season with a little of the measured salt and white pepper. Press the purée through a sieve for a formal smoothness, or mash it very thoroughly with a fork for a softer home texture. Pipe or spoon it generously into the 6 corresponding egg-white halves. If the filling seems loose, chill it for 10 minutes before piping; if too stiff, beat in reserved mayonnaise a teaspoon at a time.

6. 6

   Fill Macédoine halves

   Cook the carrot, green beans, and peas in lightly salted simmering water until tender but still distinct, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, cool quickly, and dry them thoroughly on a clean towel. Fold the Macédoine with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of mayonnaise and enough white pepper to sharpen it, then mound it into the 4 designated egg-white halves. Water left on the vegetables will loosen the mayonnaise; if that happens, drain the mixture in a fine sieve for a minute and fold in a spoonful of the mashed yolk mixture from the next step.

7. 7

   Set herb quarters

   Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in the smallest saucepan you own, stir in the flour, and cook for 30 seconds without coloring it. Whisk in the milk little by little and simmer until the Béchamel becomes thick enough to hold the whisk's trace, about 2 minutes. Scrape it onto a cold plate and let it cool completely. Mash the 4 reserved yolks with the tablespoon of softened butter, the cold Béchamel, chives, a pinch of salt, and white pepper. Fill the remaining 4 egg-white halves, chill them for 20 minutes, then cut each half crosswise into 2 neat quarters with a damp, thin-bladed knife. If the filling drags or crumbles, chill it longer; if it remains dry, beat it with a teaspoon of reserved mayonnaise and refill the whites.

8. 8

   Arrange the egg salad

   Whisk the remaining tablespoon of white wine vinegar with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and white pepper. Slice the last 2 eggs into rounds and arrange them in alternating rows with the cucumber. Chop the reserved end pieces from the egg discs and tuck them through the middle. Spoon over just enough vinaigrette to make the surfaces gleam without leaving a puddle beneath them. Hold any remaining dressing for the table.

9. 9

   Chill and serve

   Arrange the Shrimp Butter discs, tuna halves, Macédoine halves, and herb quarters in distinct loose rows on a chilled platter, with the salad in a shallow dish alongside or at one end. Cover without pressing the wrapping onto the piped fillings and chill for at least 30 minutes. Bring the platter out 15 minutes before serving so the butter softens enough to taste fully, but keep it away from a warm room for longer than 2 hours. Serve with small forks and napkins. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Cold food needs decisive seasoning because the chill quiets salt and acidity. Taste every filling cold before it reaches the egg whites, then adjust it once, with confidence.
• •The source permits Shrimp, Montpellier, or Caviare butter on the discs. Use one butter across a small platter or divide the softened butter into two colors for a larger party; the quantity and piping method remain the same.
• •A Salpicon of lobster or shrimp can replace the tuna purée: cut the shellfish into very fine, even dice, bind it with only enough mayonnaise to cohere, and keep it cold. Salpicon should show its pieces rather than collapse into paste.
• •Dry vegetables are essential to a stable Macédoine. Frozen peas are entirely honest here, especially outside their season; blanch them briefly and dry them as carefully as the fresh beans and carrot.
• •A dry sparkling wine or a brisk, unoaked white suits the butter, egg, and fish without flattening the vinaigrette. Serve it well chilled, then let the platter handle the conversation.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook and peel the eggs up to 1 day ahead. Keep them whole in a covered container in the refrigerator so their cut surfaces do not dry.
• •The mayonnaise, Shrimp Butter, tuna filling, Macédoine, and yolk filling may be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated separately. Because the mayonnaise contains pasteurized raw yolk, keep it continuously cold and use it within that day.
• •Assemble the eggs up to 6 hours before serving. Dress the cucumber salad no more than 1 hour ahead so it stays crisp, and remove the platter from the refrigerator 15 minutes before it reaches the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)